LAS VEGAS – Niko Price was back to normal life. He was working as a landscaper when the phone rang. It was UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby.
Price (17-11 MMA, 9-11 UFC) thought his MMA days were done after his March loss to Michael Chiesa extended his skid to four in a row. Shelby, however, believed in him perhaps more than he believed in himself. He had a fight offer.
"He was like, 'Hey, do you want an actual retirement fight?'" Price told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference Saturday after UFC Fight Night 290. "(I was like) 'Yeah, why not?' Of course I'll take another paycheck to go fight someone. It's a lot easier fighting people than it is to rip down houses and landscaping. I know that."
Price, 37, was the B-side to multiple retirement fights against Chiesa and former UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler. So, even being offered the idea of having his own was an honor.
"It means so much just to know the career wasn't a waste," Price said. "They saw that I really put my blood, sweat, and tears into this and everything I have. I sacrificed time with the family. But it was all great and worth it."
But the moment wasn't just a memento. Price made it an important memory when he finished Leon Shahbazyan with punches in under two minutes. It's something he'll always remember.
"It was amazing," Price said. "I'm just grateful for everything that the UFC has given me, and God has given me. I'm just... words can't describe how I feel."
Price has been on the UFC roster for nearly a decade. He made his promotional debut at UFC 207 in December 2016. Over the span of the next 10 years, Price provided a plethora of exciting bouts with notable wins over James Vick, Alex Oliveira, and Alex Morono, among others.
In MMA, sometimes the end isn't the end. That might be the case for Price, who admittedly leaves the door open despite the UFC's promo tribute video that aired on the broadcast.
"I'm a prizefighter," Price said. "I fight. But it has to be agreed upon with my family. My management is my family. As long as we all decide together, we'll jump into the pit together and we'll do it. ... Maybe combat, maybe punching, but hit me up for some UFC BJJ. I'll come grapple anybody."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Niko Price elated by fairytale UFC ending – or was it?